Ultrasound in medicine & biology
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Ultrasound Med Biol · Nov 2002
The ability of quantitative ultrasound at the calcaneus to identify postmenopausal women with different types of nontraumatic fractures.
The aim of the cross-sectional study was to determine if ultrasound (US) measurements of the calcaneus have the ability to predict the risk for fractures and to discriminate between postmenopausal women with and without different types of nontraumatic fractures. All women (n = 1,129, age range 40 to 87 years) were divided into group 1, created by 656 women with 956 nontraumatic past fractures, and group 2, consisting of 473 women without fractures. Group 1 was divided into subgroups: with hip fractures, with vertebral (nonhip) fractures, with wrist (nonhip and nonspine) fractures and with other (nonhip, nonspine and nonwrist) fractures. ⋯ The present study demonstrates the ability of calcaneal QUS to discriminate between healthy individuals and subjects with different types of nontraumatic fractures. Calcaneal US parameters show the best sensitivity and specificity in discriminating the hip fracture patients from the controls. Generally, the SOS parameter is a better discriminator than SI and BUA and estimates the highest OR for fractures.